Asia "Alpha" (1983), Side A: Don't Cry, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

<p>Asia's 1983 album "Alpha", Side A: "Don't Cry", "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes", "Never in a Million Years", "My Own Time (I'll Do What I Want)" and "The Heat Goes On".</p><p>With JW away, Dan and Raf get into how Raf discovered Asia, prog's turn to pop, and a production debate over a crowded mix and a buried Steve Howe, plus the album as the soundtrack to an eighth-grade breakup in the Walden Galleria food court.</p><p><br></p><p>LISTEN TO THE ALBUM:</p><p>- <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/0MdsnpmztQLrbUDzXZeT8v?si=57e6186b7fb64f22">Asia “Alpha”</a></p><p><br></p><p>CHAPTERS:</p><p>- 0:00: All Things Considered</p><p>- 0:21: Two Old Friends Take a Second Listen</p><p>- 1:24: The Asia Trilogy &amp; a One Direction Advocate</p><p>- 3:45: Housekeeping &amp; Schedule Switch</p><p>- 8:50: Underrated vs. Overlooked: A Subreddit Rebuttal</p><p>- 18:19: How Raf Discovered Asia</p><p>- 22:40: When Prog Went Pop</p><p>- 29:40: The Basics</p><p>- 30:48: Asia, Le Studio &amp; Pop-Prog Dynamics</p><p>- 38:57: Production, Wall of Sound &amp; Geffen Pressure</p><p>- 44:32: Overall Impressions &amp; Lyrics</p><p>- 48:46: The Walden Galleria Food Court</p><p>- 50:46: Side A, Track 1: Don't Cry</p><p>- 56:31: Side A, Track 2: The Smile Has Left Your Eyes</p><p>- 1:04:20: Side A, Track 3: Never in a Million Years</p><p>- 1:10:27: Side A, Track 4: My Own Time (I'll Do What I Want)</p><p>- 1:18:29: Side A, Track 5: The Heat Goes On</p><p>- 1:22:37: Until Side B, the Heat Goes On</p><p><br></p><p>BACKTRACKING SOCIALS:</p><p>- <a href="https://twitter.com/backtrackingrox">Twitter: @backtrackingrox</a></p><p>- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@backtrackingrox">YouTube: @backtrackingrox</a></p><p>- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/backtrackingrox/">Instagram: @backtrackingrox</a></p><p>- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/backtrackingrox">Reddit: u/backtrackingrox</a></p><p><br></p><p>BAND LINKS:</p><p>- <a href="https://originalasia.com/">Asia Official Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/asiatheband">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/originalasia">X (Twitter)</a></p><p><br></p><p>Welcome to Backtracking – the podcast where three old friends take a second listen to influential bands' albums, track by track. For our third season, we've each selected five albums that we think deserve a good old Backtracking.</p><p>Don't cry, it's only an email: backtrackingrox@gmail.com</p>